The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1887-04-07
A FEAST OF REASON.
THE HUB ENJOYS A LITERARY
TREAT.

. A FEAST OF REASON. \
THE HUB ENJOYS A LITERARY
TREAT.
such Meu as Lowell, Holmes, Edward
Everett Hale. Mark Twain, Howeils
and Others Give the Entertainment.
Especial Cor. STATE CHRoNIcLE.l
CAMBRIDGE. MASS, April I, 1S87.-In
order to swell the Longfellow Memorial
Fund for the purpose Of erecting suita-
BILE monument to the poet iE Cambridge, a
number of ladies, among whom were Mrs.
James T. Fields, Miss Sarah Orne Jewett,
Mrs. Louis Agassiz, Mrs. 7. B. Aldrich,
Mrs E. N. HorsfOrd, and Others equally
we'll known, arranged for an entertainment
to be given ny Mark Twain, VIM. D How
ellis. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Edward Ev-
! erett Hale, Mrs. Julia Ward Howe, 7. B.
Aldrich, James Russell Lowell, George
VIM. Curtis and 7. W. Higginson. The
entertainment was given on yesterday at
the Boston Museum, and being willing to
share my enjoyment of it with the readers
! of the CHRONICLE. ! send you some account
of the men, their wit and their wisdom.
Every seat in the house was taken, every
| aisle filled, every inch of standing room
was taken. At 2 o'clock the curtain arose
upon beautiful parlor in which were
seated the group of authors. On .he ex
treme right was DR.. Edward Everett Hale,
with his large frame, bushy head, and
riOus cOuntenance. He was engaged in
talking with a man of stalwart frame,
flowing gray beard and we'll opened blue
eyes. This man was James Russell Low
ell
Seated by Mr.. Lowell was the incest,
primmest, merriest looking little old man
in Boston. He wore we'll fitting clothes.
had 4,
out in a smile on the least moments no.
kers and hair silver rather than gray
around the bottom but nearly black on
top. He did not look the least bit frigh-
tened, as some of the others dill, but would
glance at the boxes, at the floor and the
galleries, while he would gently slap his
hands and rub them together in way
that showed huge satisfaction. Oliver
Wendell Holmes is a great favorite with
BOStOnians.
Just behind the two poets was Col. T.
W. Higginson, soldier, essayist, lecturer,
historian, who sat perfectly quiet amt at
tentive. Near to Col. Higg ginson was Mrs
Julia Ward Howe, who sat playing with
the manuscript of her poems She is
pleasant looking old lady and very much
resembles the pictures of Queen Victoria.
Near Mrs. Howe, sat George VIM. Curtis
in an attitude of careless ease. He has
firm mouth and chin unshaded by mus
tache or beard, flowing side whisk, rs, a
full forehead and earnest eyes.
Next came Prof. Charles Eliot Norton,
of Harvard an elderly gentleman, thin
haired, modest, and scholarly, the presid
iag officer of the evening. Near him was
a well built fellow with bushy hair frank
face and mobile mouth around which
plays the light of rare humor and quaint
philosophy He would double himself up
like jack knife, then straighten himself
out again. and looked as il he felt very
much out of place. This was none other
than Mr.. SainI L. Clemens-Mark Twain.
Just in the rear of these, and near to
Mrs. Howe, sat William D. Howells and
Thomas Bailey Al.rich. Howells looks
heavy and careless and had his hands in
his pockets. He wears heavy mustache,
and thick hair hangs over his broad fore
head and grows down on his huge neck.
Aldrich is smaller, very neat in appearance
and looks more like a drummer than the
literateur, though he acted as if he had
come to the meeting purely from sense
# duty and not to please himself.
The Exercises.
Professor Norton stepped to the front,
and after rounds of applause, paid trib-
ute to Longfellow in which be said. among
other things, that he was the most widely
loved poet that ever lived. His poetry
made all who read it his friends. 1t called
out their responsive sympathies for the
poet i'll such wise as to make his life happy,
and it still calls out those sympathies so
as to keep his memory fresh and dear in
thousand. thousand hearts the world over.
Go where you will and mention the name
of LongfellOw and it is that of friend
common to you and to him to whom you
SPEAK. There have been poets whose vision
of Imagination was of wider sweep, others
who have dropped the plummet of thought
deeper into the sea of life, others have felt
the stress of more passionate inspiration,
but there has been scarcely another who
has better fulfilled the high function of
the poet, as the interpreter of the common
heart, as giving voice to the simple nat
ural sentiment of good men and women.
The spirit of humanity, of humanity in
that finer sense of what man may be-
come. hich it has been the privilege of
America, at least, to suggest-the spirit
Of America speaks in his verse. He intro
duced the first speaker with: "And first
comes one who has added to the innocent
gayety of nations, who has made even
Connecticut relax her rigid gravity, who
has Laughter and Merriment for his at
tendant squires, and whose shield like
stantial smile,' Mark Twain's to exhila-
rate the dull and quie, the restless. Chill
dren cry for it. We are all children.
Come, MIR. Clemens, and give us a taste of
your precious, patent champagne mandra
CORA"
Mark Twain
then trotted out to the little desk, looking
scared halfto death, and stood with one
hand deep in his pocket while he waited
for the audience to get through applaud
ing him. He explained that he was about
to read English as She is Taught, !" which
was written for the Century, where it
would appear to morrow. The book is sup
posed to be written by teacher, and here
| are some answers given by the pupils to
questions:
Alias, good man in the Bible"
''Assiduity, state of being acid"
"Capillary, little caterpillar"
Emolument, headstone to grave"
"Ipecac, a mau who likes good din
| ner."
"Idolater, a very idle person"
Mercenary, one who feels for an
| other"
Here are two where the mistake has re-
| suited from sound assisted by a remote
| fact:
"Plagiarist, writer of plays"
TemayOpua n vesael containing haar